River Flows in You
by MsPikachu
Summary: The times are getting tougher. We all must make difficult decisions, but none more so than Commander Shepard. Raging hormones, sneaky betrayals, and constant pressure are just the beginning for this team as they overcome their own problems and face their own ghosts to defeat the Reapers and save the galaxy. ShepxGarrus KaidanxOC
1. 1: Queen of the Angels

**(A/N: This is a story that I started with my best friend, just for fun, but I figure we had so much fun writing it, why not share it? Well, we've changed a few things in the original Mass Effect story, but we hope you'll enjoy it nonetheless.**

**This story is named after _River Flows in You_ by Yiruma.  
**

**Theme Song (by chapter): _Hello, I Love You_ by The Doors.)**

**Chapter One: Queen of the Angels  
**

Eveline val Cade. Val Cade. It was an odd last name. It wasn't nearly as odd as her history, though. That made people shudder, but she didn't let others know about it, about HER. A few people knew, like Anderson, Bailey, and Ray, but the only person in the universe that _really_ knew was Cassandra Shepard. She would trust Cassie with her soul. But to everyone else, she was Eveline Cade, biotic and close friend of the commander.

Evi's long, wavy brown hair fell over her shoulders as she leaned over onto the table to look at a data pad. She shifted her weight onto her right hip and pursed her lips as she read the information. In frustration, she rubbed her forehead and sighed. Biting her lip, Evi looked over to her dance shoes at the foot of her bed and longed just to put them back on and dance across her room.

"Doing okay, Ev?" a voice came from behind Evi.

She turned around to see Major Kaidan Alenko in the doorway. He had in his hands a mug full of (what Evi hoped was) coffee.

"Please tell me that's for me." Eveline pleaded Kaidan with her best puppy face.

Kaidan chuckled, his handsome features pulled into an amused smile that caused Eveline to feel weak at the knees. "Yes, Ev. This coffee is for you." He placed the mug on the table next to Eveline before he leaned against the table. "What are you looking at?"

Evi sighed before she hopped up on the table and crossed her legs. She picked up the data pad and handed it to Kaidan. As he looked at it, she leaned her chin onto his shoulder.

"What IS this?" Kaidan asked.

"Exactly." Eveline replied as she straightened up again. "I've been trying to clear up the message for hours. What is the Illusive Man planning?"

"I really couldn't tell you, Ev." Kaidan placed the pad behind him before turning to face Eveline. He was so close to her. "Take a break. You've been working so hard."

"I can't, Kaidan. There's so much to do." Eveline shook her head.

"Let's get dinner."

Evi paused for a moment, unsure if she heard correctly. "What?"

"Next time we stop at the Citadel, let's get dinner." Kaidan smiled.

Eveline smiled. "That sounds fantastic." She replied, but then her dutiful personality fell back in place. "Next time we're at the Citadel. For now, I still have to finish all this mess."

Kaidan looked into Evi's eyes and paused for a moment.

"What?" Evi asked after a few moments. "Do I have something on my face?"

She blushed as Kaidan slowly leaned in closer to her. Their noses nearly touched when a voice came over the comm, interrupting the precious moment.

"Hey, Ev." It was Joker. "The commander wants to talk to you. Meet her in her cabin."

Evi bit her lower lip. "I, um. I should probably go."

Kaidan pulled back a bit and nodded. "Yeah, it's best not to keep the commander waiting."

Kaidan helped Evi off the table before she made her way out of the room. As she reached the door, Eveline turned to face Kaidan. "Don't forget dinner!" She smiled.

Kaidan grinned back. "Can't wait."

Evi turned and made her way to the elevator. What did Cassie need that was so important, she needed to see Evi in her cabin?


	2. 2: Back and Forth Through My Mind

**(A/N: So here is Chapter Two! :D I hope you enjoy it! See if you can tell who wrote which part! (;**

**Theme song: _Seven Nation Army_ by The White Stripes.)**

**Chapter Two: Back and Forth Through My Mind**

Cassandra Shepherd. Commander and N7 graduate. Cassie curled into the corner of her couch as she examined the screens before her that stretched across the far wall of her quarters. Her credentials and status were posted at the corner, mocking her. She'd gone through so much training, torture and trials only to feel so small and ill-equipped at the hands of a race who could wipe them out without a moment's consideration. Guns and diplomacy weren't enough right now, but she had to try. As of yet, she could only think to be thankful for her team. A family she couldn't live without. Literally.

"Stop worrying like that, or you'll give yourself an ulcer," Garus appeared at her side.

Cassie jumped, completely unaware of how he could've snuck up on her. "Jesus, Garrus."

"Just Garrus," he chuckled as he took a seat and crossed his arms. "So you better stop."

Cassie rolled her eyes. "If only I could."

"Usually, I wouldn't nag so much, but you humans fall apart so easily at the first sign of stress."

She shot him a daring stare. "Fall apart, huh?"

He nodded, quite assured of himself. "Last thing we need is to pick you up bit by bit the next time we need to leap into a shuttle mid-air."

Cassie shook her head with a smile. "Okay, okay. I'll tone it down."

"That's what I like to hear," he chimed. He leaned took her hand and gave it a quick squeeze. "Evi is on her way up. Thought she could give you some information to ease your mind." With that, he released her hand and made his way to the door.

A sigh of frustration escaped her as the door shut behind him. So much teasing. Too much. It only tangled up her thoughts more.

She scratched her head, loosening some scarlet curls that tousled down her back. Cassie didn't have any new leads on the Illusive Man and Evi was her best bet on fixing that problem, but the last thing she wanted was to rush her friend for information.

As Evi stepped out of the elevator, she saw Garrus stepping out of Cassie's cabin. "Hi Garrus!" She called brightly.

"Hey, Evi." Garrus replied. "Hey, I just want you to know that Cassie is really stressed. I'm worried."

Evi nodded. "I'm worried too. I just hope this crap gets figured out soon, because I'm sick of the Illusive Man being one step ahead of us!"

"Me too."

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. If anyone can figure it out, Cassie will."

Garrus nodded before he headed to the elevator. Once Garrus was gone, Evi turned back to Cassie's door and sighed. Everybody was stressed. All the uncertainty was taking its toll on everyone.

"Cassie?" Evi called out as she poked her head into Cassie's room.

"Come in, Ev." Cassie tried to put on a smile, but Eveline could see right through it.

Evi came through the doorway and sat down next to Cassie on her bed. Cassie looked up pleadingly at Evi.

With a deep breath, Evi patted Cassie's hand. "I'm still trying to decrypt a lot of the files, but I think he's taken some Reaper DNA."

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

Evi shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, for now."

Cassie furrowed her brow and flopped backwards onto her bed. After a moment, Evi joined her best friend.

Evi supposed Cassie was trying to lighten the mood by saying, "You know Kaidan stares at you with that 'lost puppy' look every time you look away, right?"

Evi blushed. "He does not!"

"And you grin like a cheeky school girl when he's in the room," Cassie smirked.

Evi gasped. "You lie," she thought for a moment, "you just don't want to admit that you want to molest Garus." Evi grinned from ear to ear.

Cassie turned five shades of red all over. "Do not! The man is a grown cricket for crying out loud!" That thought made her chest hurt. Feeling something passionate for a squadmate, especially now, was out of line. She could've cared less about his species, but it had crossed her mind as to how it would work. 'What am I thinking?! - Turians aren't into humans anyways.' she thought. "Must be cabin fever," she concluded.

Evi rolled her eyes. "Oh please!" She shoved Cassie playfully. "They locked you up with three other people on a moon for six months with no ready supplies and you were the only one who didn't need therapy."

Cassie chuckled. "If you had come along, it would've been more like a vacation."

Evi laughed at the thought of it. After a moment, she turned over onto her stomach. "You know, I think it'd be cute, you and Garrus."

Cassie blushed. "Really now?"

"Yeah. He makes you laugh and smile and you're so happy when you're around him. And don't deny it, I've seen you itching to reach out and grab his hand!" She pointed at Cassie.

"What about you? I know you take every chance you get to go find Alenko." Cassie rebutted.

"Hey, I-" Evi began, "yeah, you're right." She admitted as she grinned. "Look at us. The universe is in great peril, and we're laying here talking about cute guys."

Cassie laughed. "The world works in strange ways like that." She shrugged. "I think we'd be insane if we only ever thought about the dangers ahead."

"Yeah, no kidding." Evi felt her eyelids grow heavy. When was the last time she slept?

Cassie yawned. Evi supposed Cassie had a similar idea.

"Don't worry, Cassie. Everything will work out. I've got a good feeling about it." Evi said before she and Cassie both drifted off to sleep.

"Commander," a metallic, echoey voice called out. "Commander, you're needed on the bridge."

Evi's eyes squinted open as she looked at the open space of the room. Then, she looked to Cassie who hadn't moved. As much as she hated to, she had to do it. Evi grasped Cassie's arm and nudged her gently.

No response.

Evi's brow furrowed as she rocked Cassie a little harder.

Still nothing.

"Commander?" EDI pressed over the intercom.

Evi pursed her lips as she curled her hand into a fist and pulled it back to punch Cassie in the arm. Just as it was about to make impact, Cassie had caught Evi's fist.

She peeked her eyes open. "Ok, I'm up." Evi smirked.

"We have a situation, Commander," EDI continued.

"What's up, EDI?"

"I'd rather you saw for yourself, ma'am."

Cassie and Evi exchanged expressions of confusion.

"Damn it," Cassie muttered under her breath as she rolled off the bed. She offered Evi her hand and helped her up.

The two made their way down to the bridge, with a few uniform adjustments here and there. Just as the doors of the elevator opened, the pair felt something brewing in their stomachs. "You'll bail me out of jail if I lose it and kill someone right?" Cassie smirked, half-joking.

"Are you kidding?" Evi nudged her with an elbow. "I'll be sitting in the cell with you."


	3. 3: Bloodstains on the Carpet

**(A/N: I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everybody for reading. I hope that at least some of you are enjoying this fanfic. :D**

**Theme Song: ****_Smooth Criminal_**** by Michael Jackson.)**

**Chapter Three: Bloodstains on the Carpet**

The elevator doors had opened to reveal a situation unlike the one they were expecting to view. Cassie had expected to see her worst nightmare come true: EDI holding the crew hostage and Joker helping her tie them up. Or even Garrus holding James by the neck against the starboard window threatening to eject him for something completely out of line and possibly deserved, whereas Evi had thought to see Kaidan and Garrus duking it out over something Cereberus related.

No, this time, the team: Kaidan, Garrus, James, and EDI, were gathered in the lab connected to the bridge, guns drawn. The rest of the crew was falling back onto the main portion of the bridge, making sure to keep out of the way. Some of them had guns at the ready, but the rest knew it wouldn't be necessary. Liara was with the crew on the bridge, attempting to quell the brave souls who dared to peek into the lab.

"Gotta admit," Cassie murmured, "Not what I expected." Little did the girls know that the original situation on deck really was what Evi had predicted, but EDI knew better than to report something like that in such a manner. Without another thought, Cassie grabbed the M-4 Shuriken holstered in her belt and began to approach the situation. "Anybody care to fill me in?" Cassie addressed the crew.

Evi followed suit, unsure of what was going on with the crowded deck.

"We have an unauthorized passenger, Ma'am," EDI responded.

Garrus smirked. "I elected to have him thrown out of the airlock, but-"

"Joker said we should wait for you, Lola," James concluded, obviously impatient.

"And why couldn't you say that before?" Evi shook her head. "We thought you guys were about to kill each other down here."

"He refused to divulge any information until the Commander was present, Ma'am."

"Not to mention he threatened to blow up the ship if we didn't do what he wanted," Kaidan growled.

Joker sat in the cockpit, frantically scanning the ship for any indication of an explosive. Clearly, they couldn't risk setting off the alarm to get the Commander's attention.

"If he releases the button, there's no telling where it will go off and how many we'll lose," Kaidan muttered.

Cassie came to Garrus's side, finally able to make out the figure before them. The man in question was standing before them with a remote in his hand, finger pressing down on the trigger. He was dressed in military grade equipment from head to toe, adorned in black and red with "N7" printed on his breastplate and shoulder guard. For a man with six guns pointed at him, he seemed extremely calm. Cassie instantly felt angry and trigger happy. No wonder EDI hadn't said anything.

Damn. He was wearing a helmet, so Evi couldn't see his face. No way of telling whether or not the bomb threat were legitimate. Evi cocked her head to the side when she looked at his armor. "N7?" she asked aloud. "Someone you know?"

"Now will you do us the pleasure of unmasking yourself?" Garrus mused sarcastically. "It'll make your death so much easier if I can shoot between the eyes."

Cassie stepped closer to figure, both hands on her gun, ready to pull the trigger. "Take off your helmet, or I'll shoot you myself and at this range, that armor won't save you."

A deep chuckle echoed from the helmet. "As you wish, Cas," he obliged. In a careful motion, the man pulled off his helmet and let it drop to the ground, revealing a pair of dark eyes and strong features. Short, black hair scruffed up and fell onto his forehead.

Her shoes instantly filled with lead. All at once, she wanted to throw down her gun and let it fire at the same time. Cassie shook her head, hoping to stop the room from spinning. All of the strength in her legs was draining away. The air in the room was leaving her as her heart throbbed and raged against her ribcage. She gripped her pistol tighter. "You were supposed to be dead."

He shrugged, "Yeah well, so were you." His eyes locked with hers as a smile spread over his face. "But I guess we all get a miracle now and then, huh?"

Cassie gritted her teeth and came closer, shoving the end of her pistol against his head. "Why are you here, Caron?!"

The group closed in tighter.

"After I heard about the Reapers, I couldn't stand by and let you go it alone," he began.

"And you've never heard of shooting an email or a transmission?" Evi probed.

"No, bomb threat is so much more direct," Garrus decided.

The man shook his head. "You wouldn't have talked to me, otherwise," he sighed. "We have unfinished business."

Joker finished scanning the Normandy and interjected with a: "All clear. No signs of a threat."

For a moment, everything seemed to stop. The crew was waiting for orders and the commander was deciding how far she wanted to push this.

"Your orders, Shepard?" Kaidan started.

Evi could feel the tension and struggle continually rising in her friend. She holstered her gun and stepped forward. With a gentle hand, she brought down Cassie's forearms and pulled her back, afraid that she might commit an act she might regret. Not to mention the fact that firing a gun in the lab wasn't the best of plans.

Right now, Garrus' plan was the most appealing to Cassie, but it wasn't practical. She pulled back, following her friend. "Put him in the brig."

Cassie turned from the group and made her way towards the elevator. Evi kept at her side, recognizing that her walk seemed too forced. Once inside, Cassie slipped to the ground. Her head fell back and her eyes moistened. Evi came to her knees and took Cassie's hand.

"What was that about? Who is he?" she asked softly. Her hand stroked Cassie's, hoping to calm her.

She shut her eyes and tears rolled out and over her cheeks. "Captain Kemp Caron..." she pulled in a deep, shaky breath."He died in my arms during the program..."

Evi shook her head, "You came back... Maybe the Illusive Man did the same for him."

Cassie let out a breath. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Evi scowled. "What could the Illusive Man want with him, though?"

Cassie shook her head. "I don't know."

Evi remembered Cassie telling her about Kemp, how he died during the N7 training, how she loved him, though Evi figured it was best not to bring it up. It was still a sensitive topic.

"Maybe we should talk to him." Evi suggested. When she saw Cassie clench her teeth, she added, "Or I could talk to him."

"No." Cassie answered immediately. "I want to know what's going on." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Evi nodded before she stopped dead in her tracks. "Hey Cas, how do you spell 'Caron?'"

"C-A-R-O-N. Why?"

"Just curious. Hey, I need to check something out, okay? Call me if you need me." Evi hastily patted Cassie on the shoulder before she trotted off without another word. She didn't mean to leave her friend hanging, but there was something she had to check, something important.

Eveline was so distracted with her thoughts on the way to her room that she bumped straight into Kaidan's chest with an audible "oof!"

To steady Evi, Kaidan wrapped his arms around her waist. "Hey there."

Evi blushed slightly. "Hey."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little distracted right now." Evi rocked back and forth in her shoes.

"By what?"

This wasn't helping Evi's concentration. Her body was pressed right up against Kaidan's. "Just thinking. There are a lot of things that I need to look up."

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, but you could keep me company if you want."

"I'd be honored."

"Well then. Let's go."

Kaidan held Evi in his arms for a moment longer before finally letting her go and following her to her quarters, where she picked up that data pad she was trying to decrypt earlier. Kaidan watched as Eveline plugged the pad into a computer. Her eyes darted back and forth quickly as she read the information that loaded on the screen.

"What are you looking at?" Kaidan asked as he watched Evi's hips shift from side to side and she scribbled something madly onto a sheet of paper.

"I think these might be details about that guy."

"Mr. I-Have-A-Bomb?"

"Yeah. I input his last name and got a horde of information!"

Kaidan couldn't resist anymore. He strode up next to Evi and the computer screen and placed an arm around Evi's waist, making her blush fifty shades of red.

Evi bit her lip as Captain Caron's profile information filled the screen. "Huh," she murmured.

"What's 'huh' for?" Kaidan poked.

"He's from the Mindoir colony, same as Cassie. Seems they were recovered from the wreckage together." She wondered if they knew each other as children. "No wonder she was freaking out," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

Evi shook her head. "He was a delinquent throughout his entire schooling. Recruited out of high school... blah blah blah, martial arts training, blah blah blah..."

"Blah?" Kaidan mused.

Evi chuckled. "Basically says he's good with his hands."

Kaidan shifted uncomfortably. "Wonder if that's in my file."

"It should be," she thought.

Suddenly Evi's eyes caught the portion regarding the N7 program. "Says he reached the final level of the program and he would've passed if it wasn't for the other candidate," she frowned. "They put the candidates through a starvation module on Amegus. No facilities or ready supplies, but the moon did have water," she made a heavy sigh.

Kaidan read over her shoulder, brushing his cheek against hers. "Starved for 30 days?" He seemed hungry just reading that. "Seems inhumane."

"They push their candidate to the extreme. Reaction in survival is crucial. But they took them off the moon if they couldn't take it anymore."

"At least there is that," he commented.

"It came down to Cassie, Caron and a few other recruits, but five days before the exercise was complete, the other recruits assaulted Caron and attempted to..." Evi had to stop and hold a hand over her mouth. She shut her eyes.

"Eat him alive?! Jesus Christ!" Kaidan scrolled down the page in a quick manner, finally stopping and pulling back. "Cassie killed the other recruits?" his voice faltered as he limply sat down. "Oh my God..."


End file.
